Feature Articles

Despite having been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, to the best of our knowledge, Lance Armstrong still retains some of his wins from those Tours, namely the Prix Citron.
The Prix Citron is a brilliant award given by journalists to the least likable cyclist of that year's race. Amongst the winners in the past have been Laurent...

One of the literary giants of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway, first moved to Europe during World War One and during his stay on the continent, he came to really came to appreciate bicycle racing, in particular, six-day races in Paris. He even makes a reference to the Tour of the Basque Country in his 1926 novel The Sun...

On the 25th of September 1985, the first stage of the inaugural Nissan Classic started outside Trinity College Dublin. The race would be a success from the off and would run for eight editions, giving the Irish public the opportunity to see many of the biggest names in the sport compete on their home roads.
The men behind the race...

Anybody who has spectated at a Belgian classic might recognise this man, but might not have known that his name is Frans Geldof.
Geldof can often be seen riding on the course of Belgian races long before the pros come through. He dresses as Eddy Merckx, wearing replica Molteni or Faema gear, riding a retro bike. Spectators can get a...

By Graham Healy
In the week that he celebrated his 60th birthday, we look back at a race where Bernard Hinault took one of his biggest one-day wins - the 1981 Paris-Roubaix.
In his first attempt at the Hell of the North the previous year, Hinault had finished in fourth place, over six minutes behind the winner Francesco Moser, who won his third Paris-Roubaix....

By Graham Healy
There have been numerous riders down through the years noted for their descending skills and one such man was Gastone Nencini. The French cyclist, Raphael Geminiani would say of Nencini, "the only reason to follow Nencini downhill would be if you had a death wish."
The Italian won the 1960 Tour de France, and his win was in...

By Graham Healy
Tomorrow, Bernard Hinault will celebrate his 60th birthday, and to mark the occasion, we’re looking back at one of the many colourful incidents in his career which resulted in the iconic photo above.
It was on the 174-kilometre fifth stage of the 1984 Paris-Nice from Miramas to La Seyne-sur-Mer when the incident took place. Robert Millar had...

Check out this video of German cyclist Michi Hange as he took on the Race around Ireland earlier this year. It is one of Europe's toughest challenges as the cyclists have to cover 2,157 kilometres around the circumference of the island. The film shows the effort that each cyclist has to put in and the pain that they suffer.

This weekend will see the start of the Tour of Rwanda. It's 25 years since the first running of the event which grows from strength to strength.
Despite the atrocities the country suffered in the Civil War in 1994, the race re-emerged afterwards as a uniting force for the divided country. International teams started travelling to take part in the hilly...

By Graham Healy
25 years ago today, on the 9th of November 1989, the Berlin Wall was opened to East Germans as a border crossing allowing them access to the West. It was an incredible time as it meant the end for the hated wall which had been erected in 1961, dividing the city.
Just two years previously, the Tour de...

The off-season is a time when many cyclists take up cross-training. The sports of choice are usually running, swimming or for some cross-country skiing.
However, a cycling club in France have decided to try something different this season as they have started playing Gaelic football. Thomas Lejeune of Union Cycliste Montmeyran Valence has started "le foot gaélique" matches with his...

By Graham Healy
In 1979, the former World Champion, Freddy Maertens was going through a massive slump in form. Since winning the world title in 1976, his form had been very erratic. He had won races such as Paris-Nice, Vuelta a España and Het Volk.
However, he had also had numerous problems which were being attributed to various reasons. It was...

By Graham Healy
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One, and Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour de France are amongst the races which have marked the centenary. Numerous top cyclists of the day from Belgium, France and Italy were killed in action, including three Tour de France winners, François Faber, Lucien Petit-Breton and Octave Lapize.
Tens...

By Graham Healy
The retired Dutch cyclist, Johan van der Velde, has recently been announced as being one of the bus drivers for the new Roompot Orange team. The news brought to mind the highs and lows that the Dutchman has seen in the sport.
Van der Velde, from Rijsbergen near the Belgian border took victory in the Tours of Britain...

By Graham Healy
The first ever Irish cyclist to take part in the Tour de France was Shay Elliott who made his debut in the 1956 race. Five years later, Elliott would be joined in the Tour by a compatriot. Ian Moore from Antrim had impressed as an amateur when he raced on the Irish team at the Tour of...